The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-08
done moment before, by a violent
effort he now reclaimed his self COM


posure. Offering her seat the pas.
tor placed chair for himself opposite
her own, then closed the door, evil
IDENTIFY prepared for O confidence.
"You have come to me in some
trouble or perplexity--that | see" he
began smiling iaintly. "And you are
aware OF my altered circumstances.
As q friend, rs minister OF the Cos
pei. / am ready to advise, perhaps
also to comfort; the priest. the con
lessor, the absolver, you know well,
have ceased to exist"
al know IT," was the timid, girlishly
hesitating reply.
Yet the beautiful speaker could
hardly be called girl. She was in
the flower OF womanhood, not its
opening bud, and had certainly pass
ed her thirtleth year.
81 should have come to you long
ago." she continued, "but my cour
age failed me-" -.
Then she broke of suddenly, as il
courage failed her still. A lovely blush
tinged her cheeks. tears glistened on
the long eyelashes. A sudden light
seemed to break upon his mind. He
leaned forward and scrutinized her
keenly.
"You, too" he said, "Georgette de
Beaumont, daughter OF one OF the
most ancient houses OF Catholic
France, you also have forsaken the
faith OF your fathers? Is it possible
that you are q Protestant now, like
MYSELF"
IL am a Catholic still" was the pas
sionate, reckless answer. "But l am
alone in the world. My apostasy
could pain none. / love. Only say
the word, and Iplace my conscience
in your keeping"
d0h," he cried in voice deeply
moved-he was evidently wrung. to the
heart by this confession, implying as
it did an empty woman's life, ahungry
heart, an unsatisfed soul-"ohl leave
these rude conflicts to minds OF tough
err texture-these dire problems tc
| theolonians-and rest content your
self to be good and happy"
The words were uttered with deep
feeling, almost impassioned tender
ness, and neither knew how it was,
She had slipped from her chair to the
side OF his own and was kneeling there
-kneeling to him as she had done
many and many q time years ago In
the confessional. The fair head, with
its coronet OF golden hair, was uplift'
ed to his, the sweet lips were on q lev
ell with his rough hand. All shrink
ing, all terror, all hesitancy had left
her now. The supreme moment was
come, she felt the inmcst thought o.
her heart.
"You bid me be good and happy
she said. There is only one way
May tell you what that way is? May
] confess to you, as in the old daysT
He smiled then, q sheltering, en-
couraging smile, much as If she were
some bewitching child fleeing to him
from chimerical terrors. To his
thinking, she was still the sunny
sparkling, frolicsome Georgette OF old
no soulless Georgette certainly, but Q
wording from the cradle, the spoiled
darling OF q noble house, the heiress
of one OF the handsomest fortunes In
France, rebuked by him. punished 10y
him in the confessional, for childish
shortcomings in matter OF religious
duty, vears ago. That smile, sad al
though it was, wonderfully irradiated
his dark physiognomy. 1t brought
back to Georgette's mind his former
SELF lie seemed to her what he had
ever been. She knew not indeed o.
the change, outward as well rs spirit.
ual, that had come over him durin.
these intervening years. For the
caustic yet benignant able, the con.
summate man OF the world, the fiery
disputant, the mighty orator, all thest
belonged to n bygone time. Pastor
ANTILLES friends and small congrega
ton were only familiar with an over
conscientious, laborious and learned
minister OF the gospel. His real, hi,
best self, was perforce concealed from
the simple townsfolk. And only here
and there was the fact realized that
the Protestant pastor OF st. Anatolt
had formerly preached to crowdes
audiences in one OF the great churches
in Paris, had seeded, in fact, from
Rome to Luther.
"By all means unburden yourself
/ shall indeed be glad to serve you,
he said, growing more and genial
yielding in spite OF himself to tht
witchery OF her presence. Thus en-
couraged, still kneeling beside him
her hands clasped on the arm OF his
chair, her appraised face sweet and in
nocent as that ola 5-year-old maiden
she began her story.
"You thought, without doubt, that
it was q careless girl you had to dea
with in days gone by. Very likely
Won even beprudeed the time spent